Come Back to Me
by twistedwidget
Summary: Five times Face has had to bring Murdock back into reality, and one time he wasn't able to do it. Prompted by The-Time-Travelling-Hippie
1. Ammonia

This story was prompted by The-Time-Travelling-Hippie, and was written with the television series characters in mind.

Chapter One: Ammonia

It happened so fast that none of them could be entirely certain of what had transpired. One moment Murdock was helping Face move a box of cleaning supplies from one corner of the garage to the shelves along the other side and the next the pilot is crouching on top of the work bench screaming with his hands over his ears.

The only clue the other three had in regards to what set him off was the permeating smell of ammonia from a bottle which had fallen from the cardboard box.

Face panicked. "B.A., get him inside!"

Bosco wasted no time in grabbing the shrieking man. Murdock never responded as he was grabbed and hauled upstairs to his and Temp's bedroom. Face followed soon after, pausing in the downstairs bathroom to jump in the shower. He knew that if there was even a hint of ammonia on him it would be detrimental to the pilot's already fragile state of mind.

Wrapping a towel around his hips, Face followed the sound of screaming to the room he shared with his best friend. B.A. was currently trying to talk sense into the younger man, but was having no luck. "It's okay, Crazy. There's not any ammonia up here." Both winced when the pilot's cries increased in volume from even saying the word.

"Bosco, man… go take a shower downstairs and get Hannibal to do the same after he finishes cleaning up the mess. If Murdock catches one scent of you know what he'll never come back out of his head. I'm gonna try to take him across the hall to get him showered while you guys finish up." B.A. nodded and left the two friends alone.

After pulling on a pair of sleep pants, Face immediately wrapped his arms around the other man and began singing one of the children songs he had learned strictly to help his buddy through rough patches.

_Little bird, little bird  
__fly through my window.  
__Little bird, little bird  
__fly through my window.  
__Little bird, little bird  
__fly through my window...  
__Find molasses candy._

As soon as the frantic screaming was silenced, Face pulled the pilot to his feet and guided him to the shower across from their room. The blonde shed his pants and H.M.'s clothes before getting them both underneath the warm spray.

When he was done Face dried himself and Murdock off as best he could and somehow managed to get a pair of boxer briefs on his friend before redressing himself in the soft pants. Once the older man was safely tucked into bed, Templeton climbed in beside him and continued humming the song he'd started earlier.

H.M. wrapped long arms around the conman and burrowed his face into the blonde's neck, as if hoping to hide himself inside his friend's skin. Face continued humming and stroking Murdock's back.

The two men endured ten minutes of this before H.M. had calmed enough to come back to reality. By this time the other two men were standing in the doorway with damp hair and fresh clothes, anxiously awaiting the pilot's return.

Face glanced over at them as Hannibal spoke. "I cleaned up the spill as well as I could, and B.A. set the fan up. We've got the whole garage airing out, so keep him up here until we give you the go ahead."

Temp nodded. "Okay, thanks guys. I think he's okay now… aren't you Murdock?"

The crazy man sniffled and rubbed his eyes before nodding quickly. "Yeah… 'm okay Face. Sorry guys."

Face scowled. "None of that, you moron. You can't help your reactions, and we're happy to help." Murdock said nothing else, but gave an appreciative look to his closest friends as the lieutenant tightened his arms around him in a hug.

Templeton was just thankful that he'd been able to pull the older man out of his episode this time. His biggest fear was that one day H.M. would become trapped inside his head for good.

* * *

Song is "Little Bird, Little Bird" by Elizabeth Mitchell. I first heard and fell in love with it while watching a season 5 episode of Futurama called "Lethal Inspection".


	2. Story Time

Author's Note: Many of you have expressed concern in regards to the future "one time he wasn't able to do it" so I've decided to put your minds at ease. There will be no sad endings to any of my stories.

Chapter Two - Story Time

Face hummed to himself happily, having just come from a truly spectacular date with a knockout brunette named Sally… or was it Sarah? He shrugged and tossed his keys on the counter of his scammed beach house. It didn't really matter what the gorgeous woman's name was as long as he didn't call out the wrong one during a moment of passion.

Nothing killed the fun faster than committing **that** faux pas.

The blonde was heading to his bedroom with the intentions of changing out of his suit and into something more comfortable when the hair stood up on the back of his neck. Templeton stopped in his tracks when he realized that he wasn't as alone in his house as he had previously thought. The hand creeping toward his hidden pistol froze as he saw a familiar and welcome face.

"Murdock? What the heck are you doing here," he asked the man sitting on the couch watching Bugs Bunny cartoons. "How did you get out of the VA?"

Frowning when no answer was forthcoming, Temp took a moment to study his best friend. H.M. looked relaxed as he stared at the television. He was dressed normally in khaki pants and t-shirt. The baseball cap was laying on top of his leather jacket, which was draped over the back of the sofa. Face could have believed his friend was simply absorbed in the programming had it not been for Murdock's eyes.

During the two minutes in which Face took to examine the pilot, the expressive brown eyes did not blink once.

Sighing sadly, Temp shrugged out of his suit jacket. He hung it on the back of a chair in the kitchen before grabbing a vial of eye drops he kept mostly for situations such as this. The conman rolled his sleeves up before crouching in front of his friend. He tilted Murdock's head back and released a few drops into each eye, knowing that the pilot's eyes must be incredibly dry from not blinking. With that task complete, Templeton grabbed the remote and silenced the television before sitting down beside his teammate.

Face reached out and pulled an unresisting Murdock into his arms. He began to speak softly, hoping to snap the pilot out of his catatonia. Though it didn't happen incredibly often, he had enough experience in dealing with H.M. in this frozen state of existence to know the best way to reach him.

"When I was ten Father Maghill allowed me to walk up to the corner store by myself." Face gently ran his fingers through the soft brown hair. "It was a huge honor that wasn't given to many of the younger orphans. But Father M knew I could be trusted to go straight there and back without dawdling."

The blonde chuckled when he remembered the sour look on Bobby Johnson's face as he left the grounds. Templeton's innocent facade and charming personality made him a favorite amongst the nuns of the orphanage while Bobby's bullying ways granted him no leniency at all.

"I was asked to bring back a bag of potatoes for the kitchen staff." He smiled fondly. "I remember Father Maghill grabbing my arm and telling me how big my muscles were… that a strong young man like myself would have no trouble carrying a heavy sack of potatoes home," Face said with a chuckle. "Even though I was small and skinny at that age, he made me feel like I would be a viable contender for the heavyweight championship."

Templeton shifted into a more comfortable position and arranged Murdock accordingly. "Anyway, I made it all the way to the store before realizing that I'd lost the money he'd given me somewhere along the way. I ran back along the route I'd taken, hoping to see the cash, but either someone had picked it up or the wind had blown it away."

He suddenly felt Murdock's breathing speed up and knew he was almost back with him. Temp smiled in relief, but kept up his story in order to give him the chance to catch up slowly. "Even though Father M very rarely even raised his voice to the children in his care, I was terrified of losing his trust. Fearing to go back to the orphanage, I sat myself on the curb outside the shop and cried like the child I was."

Face kept stroking the wispy strands, even as Murdock turned his head to watch his expression. "There I sat, feeling incredibly sorry for myself, for who knows how long, when suddenly I felt someone sit down beside me. When I looked to see who it was, I nearly wet myself to find Father Maghill there!"

Templeton paused in remembrance of the past, but smiled when he heard Murdock finally speak. "What happened?"

Wrapping an arm around his best friend's shoulder, Temp squeezed the other man affectionately. "Well, he asked me why I was upset, and I finally told him about the lost money."

"What did he do when you confessed?"

Face smiled widely. "He laughed… a lot."

The Texan nodded. "I reckon he wanted to show you that losing the money wasn't really a big deal in the grand scheme of things and that worrying yourself sick wasn't really necessary."

Templeton chuckled and responded with, "Nope. He laughed because I'd forgotten to get the money from him before I'd left."

Murdock stared at the younger man in shock. "You… you didn't lose the money?"

"Nuh uh. The father had come after me when he realized I had nothing to pay the grocer with, and there I was… sobbing on the side of the street over something that had never happened."

The pilot smiled and glanced towards the muted television. "Facey, that story is utterly pathetic! Even Billy is shaking his head at ya!"

Smiling like Liberace at a sequin sale, Temp said, "True, buddy. But it was the only time I've ever seen Father M laugh that hard! Totally worth it, in my humble opinion."

The con artist watched as Murdock turned up the volume on the television and got back to his cartoons. There would be plenty of time later to find out why he'd escaped from the hospital. Right now he was more than happy to ignore the subject of what could have caused H.M. to enter into a catatonic state. The most important thing was the fact that Templeton was able to pull him out of it.

That's all that mattered.

* * *

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	3. Flashing Back

Chapter Three: Flashing Back

"Excuse me sir, is the… um, **gentleman** in the brown leather jacket in your party?" Face looked up from his order of escargots, ready to rearrange the stuffy waiter's face for the derisive way he spat out the word "gentleman" when referring to his best friend. The only thing that stayed his hand was the fact that he wanted to know what sort of mischief H.M. could possibly get in to during what was supposed to be a quick trip to the restroom.

B.A. and Hannibal also stared with a mixture of confusion and anger, which made the restaurant worker suddenly appear nervous. Hopefully he was in the process of changing his attitude.

"Yes, he's with us," Face said as he dabbed his face with a napkin before placing it on the table. He was ready to go pull the pilot away from harassing a customer, asking the chef the best way to scramble an egg, or whatever the hell he was doing to cause the wait staff to frown in consternation.

Wouldn't want the uppity snob to get early wrinkles, would we?

"Very good sir. I'm sorry to be a bother, but your companion appears to be having some sort of… fit in the men's room."

As soon as he heard the word "fit", Templeton stood up and shoved the waiter, (who absolutely would not be getting a tip if he had anything to say about it), to the side before dashing off toward the restrooms. Hannibal and B.A. were right behind him.

Face pushed the door open with such force that it swung open at a full arc and banged against the wall. If he'd known that the episode his best friend was enduring was a PTSD flashback, he would have entered the room much more calmly.

The sudden noise caused the pilot, who had taken cover from his memories underneath the counter, to jump in fright before bending down and covering his head in protection. Face coolly slid underneath the row of sinks, for once not worried about how many germs his pants were collecting, and began speaking in a calm, even tone. Hannibal and the sergeant didn't come quite as close, but crouched down near enough for their presence to be known, hoping to be of comfort to their ailing friend.

"H.M., you're safe. Murdock, it's me… Face. We're in the restroom of _Le Chat Blanc_… that overpriced and equally overrated French restaurant in Tulsa, remember?"

They never knew if the pilot would have responded, because the manager of the restaurant took that moment to enter the men's room and attempt to forcefully eject the occupants from the establishment. Hannibal was fuming as he said the one word that would guarantee that the sour-faced gentleman would think twice about pissing off a group of vets in the future, particularly if one of them was in the midst of a flashback.

"B.A."

Face mentally tacked on the words, "sic 'em," to the end as he watched Bosco crack his knuckles moments before tossing the intruder out the door. The big man growled as he followed in a menacing manner, obviously intending to make certain they would no longer be disturbed by the horrible staff.

Turning his attention back to the pilot, Templeton noticed he was now looking around wildly. He was no doubt either searching for the Viet Cong in the vast jungle, or from the tiny bamboo cage they shared in the POW camp. Neither option was heartening. Removing his jacket, Face managed to get his best friend to grab hold of the sleeve. The tactile sensation of having something in his hands would help greatly in grounding H.M., especially since he rejected Temp's attempts at physical contact.

"You're safe, Murdock," Face repeated for what felt like the millionth time. "Me, you, and Hannibal are sitting underneath the sinks in the bathroom at an upscale French restaurant, from which we've probably been blacklisted… not that we would ever have revisited this dump.

"We were supposed to meet our client here for dinner, but he called and said he'd be late. He wanted us to go ahead and finish our meal and he'd meet us for dessert, remember? His name is Samuel Pensington, III and he wants to hire us to find his daughter who's been kidnapped by a rival business out to take over his company.

"Anyway, we're here at _Le Chat Blanc_ and were trying to choke down the horrendous food they have the nerve to call "gourmet", waiting on Mr. Pensington. You ordered the shrimp instead of the escargots I recommended because you said that snails belonged in the garden and not on fine china.

"About five minutes into your meal you said you and your friend Mr. Noodles had to visit the little pilot's room, even though Mr. Noodles wasn't a pilot. Then B.A. told you in not-so-nice terms that Mr. Noodles wasn't real, and even if he were real that a man made out of nothing but spaghetti wouldn't have a need of the facilities anyway."

Face softly repeated the assurances for over ten minutes before he finally got a response from his best friend.

Murdock wore a look of pure confusion as he recognized his surroundings at last. Templeton and the colonel were both smiling at him in relief, and he couldn't help but meet their grins with one of his own. "So… memory loss or flashback?"

The conman chuckled. "Probably a little of both, buddy." He scooted out from underneath the countertop and took Hannibal's hand to aid in standing before offering his own to Murdock. Once they were all vertical, he removed as much filth as he could from his suit while their commanding officer straightened up H.M. and filled him in on all that he'd missed during his flashback.

As the team met up with B.A., they were happy to discover their newest client, who'd previously been one of the restaurant's best customers, had arrived and was livid. Mr. Pensington, having gotten the accounting of the men's despicable experience from Bosco, had nearly reduced the rude manager to tears before loudly declaring that he would be sure to let all of his friends know of this incident and how embarrassed he was to have recommended this establishment to his business contacts in the first place.

_Le Chat Blanc_ went out of business about eight months after Samuel Pensington, III's daughter was safely returned to his arms. The guys never did find out if the staff's reaction to Murdock's episode was the precursor, but they liked to think it was.

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	4. Fever

Chapter Four - Fever

"104.2." Templeton shook his head in distress as he disinfected the thermometer and returned it to their medical kit. "Any higher and we'll be able to roast marshmallows, Colonel."

Both men stared down at the hotel bed where their friend lay suffering from a nasty bout of influenza. Murdock couldn't have picked a worse time to get sick, what with the recent blizzard making all roads impassable. The pilot writhed in misery, sweat soaking the thin sheets beneath him.

Face was replacing the cold compress on the ailing man's forehead when B.A. crashed through the door. Hannibal had his pistol up and pointing toward the burly sergeant before recognition set in. The harsh wind cooled the room almost instantly, pushing in snow as the black man struggled to reseal the portal. "Ain't no way, Hannibal," Bosco said, unnecessarily. "We're stayin' here till the storm lets up. Snow plows won't even be runnin' till then."

The colonel nodded dejectedly before holstering his weapon. "That's it then. All we can do is try to keep his fever down the best we can and make sure he's comfortable… at least until this blizzard blows over."

Face frowned in consternation as he gazed at his best friend. "Why now, Murdock, huh," he asked the unconscious man. "Why don't you save your illnesses for when you're at home in the VA, with access to doctors and drugs?"

Hannibal grabbed the young lieutenant's shoulder. "He'll be fine, Face."

Temp sighed. "Yeah… I know. I think this is just bringing back memories of the last time he needed medical help and our hands were tied."

B.A. stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Murdock with an intensity not often found on the large man's face. "There's a big difference though, Faceman. Last time he had a bullet in him that we couldn't get out right away. Now it's just the flu; Folks get it all the time and come out alright without needin' a doctor."

Face smiled at his friends. He knew he tended to be a mother hen where H.M. was concerned. Since Murdock had had his breakdown Temp had immediately taken on the responsibility of looking after the pilot who was his brother in all but blood. It was no real hardship because the conman knew without a doubt that if their situations had been reversed Murdock would have happily done the same for him.

Hannibal filled a basin with water and brought that and a fresh cloth to the blonde. Face took them without a word and began bathing H.M.'s face, neck, and chest, desperately searching for any sign that the fever ravaging the lanky body was coming down.

When he next looked up from his patient, he noticed the two other men had retreated back to their adjoining room, leaving the door cracked in case they were needed. Face sighed and moved to lay on the bed beside Murdock, careful not to get close enough to transfer body heat into the already overheated pilot. There were two beds in the room, but he had a need to stay near in case the captain needed him.

In Vietnam, Face was no stranger to performing first aid in the field. He'd seen everything from missing limbs to infected bullet wounds, and could patch them up the best he could without breaking a sweat. This, however? Templeton had rarely ever had to deal with illness. He felt like he was asked to fight a battle with a foe he could not see. It made him twitchy.

What was worse was the fact that he was being asked to fight this war with inadequate weaponry. Murdock needed medicine and someone with the expertise to treat this… and maybe some vitamin C. All Face had to work with was a bowl of water and prayers to a deity from whom he'd all but turned away since his college days.

Inadequate, indeed.

* * *

Face jerked awake, not really remembering falling asleep in the first place, and immediately turned to check on Murdock. He gasped in panic when he realized that he was the bed's only occupant. Jumping to his feet, Templeton searched the room for the pilot. A discarded cloth, the one that had previously been situated on his friend's forehead, lay beside the open bathroom door.

He found the missing man huddled up in the tiny space between the toilet and bathtub and sighed with relief. Visions of a half-naked Murdock, stumbling out into the blizzard caused him to shudder in fear.

"Murdock? Buddy, what are you doing out of bed?" He crouched down in front of his friend, trying to get the brown eyes to focus on him. "Did you have to use the bathroom?"

An unfocused stare was all he received from his friend until he reached to pull the taller man out of the nook. Murdock whimpered and pressed himself deeper into the cramped space, mumbling a variety of words that made very little sense to the con artist.

Unable to understand, Face started talking soothingly to the distraught man in the hopes that his voice would be enough to reassure H.M. The next time he reached out, Murdock allowed the blonde to make contact with him. While elated that his touch was accepted, Face was also horrified to discover that Murdock felt hotter than he had before his little nap.

Chastising himself for falling asleep when his buddy needed him, Face helped Murdock from the floor before sitting him on the toilet. Satisfied that the older man wouldn't fall, Templeton reached out and turned the shower on. The temperature was set slightly cooler than lukewarm instead of cold, as he only wanted to lower H.M.'s fever, not send him into shock.

When the water temperature was to his liking, he turned to find Murdock still mumbling and reaching out to touch something in front of him that only he could see. Face shook his head and gently reached around his friend to help him into the bathtub.

Templeton sat H.M. down on the bottom of the tub under the spray and took the spot behind him, wrapping his arms around the other in desperation.

As soon as the water made contact with his body, Murdock began shivering violently. Face found it odd that someone so hot could possibly feel cold, but he didn't make any moves to remove the pilot from the shower. Instead he tightened his grip and started humming a nonsensical tune, willing the illness to leave the weak body he held.

Face had no clue how long the two of them had been sitting underneath the steady stream of water when Murdock finally started coming around. Relief flooded him when he heard the raspy voice say, "Face? Why are we in the shower in our clothes?"

Templeton chuckled and loosened his grip, heartened to find H.M.'s temperature seemed much lower than it had been when he'd turned the shower on. "Just trying to get your fever down, buddy."

Murdock seemed to accept that answer without any need for further clarification and Face soon had him dried off, in clean pajamas, and tucked into bed.

Face, no longer tired, sat up the rest of the night and kept watch.

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	5. All the Rage

Chapter Five - All the Rage

In the years that Face has known H.M. Murdock, he felt confident enough to say that he knew his best friend as well as he knew himself. He's been there through all the highs and lows; From the time his buddy's brown eyes glowed with pride when the Silver Star was pinned to his chest, to the long months of being tortured in a POW camp.

And with those experiences, Templeton had catalogued every expression that had ever crossed the pilot's face. Happiness was easy, as it was rare to not see some measure of glee in his countenance… though he had to admit it came more often after his friend's breakdown. Sadness was simple too, but thankfully that emotion never stayed long, though crippling depression has been known to pop up a time or two. And, though B.A. would deny it vehemently, Murdock often carried a thoughtful expression; The pilot was brilliant, and it often showed on his face when trying to work through one puzzle or another. He could probably give Hannibal a run for his money on plan making, but Murdock seemed perfectly content with the current pecking order.

Anger, though?

Face, before today, would have sworn that he's seen H.M. angry. As close as brothers, the two have had their fair share of fights over the years. Murdock has often stormed away from him, red-faced and pouty. And Templeton could never forget the cold stare aimed at the owner of that seedy little bar in the deep south called "The Floor 'Em" when a group of thugs had threatened to harm the conman. He still gets chills when thinking about it.

But never has Face witnessed Murdock completely lose control in the face of rage… until now.

It all started with a job. They were hired by a group of farmers in a small Texan town who were sick and tired of some big shot land developer from Dallas trying to run them out of business in order to take their land. Same old story… different day. Face knew what they'd find when they pulled into town.

They'd probably catch a few goons in the act of terrorizing the locals… the A-Team would proceed to humiliate them in front of everyone. Then, after having their asses handed to them, the thugs would either offer them a "friendly" warning, or go into the obligatory "you'll never get away with this" spiel. And it happened just as Face predicted.

What **hadn't** counted on was Murdock's estranged father being one of the farmers in need.

The first clue that something was amiss was when Murdock stiffened during Hannibal's "don't worry about a thing, the scum won't know what hit them" speech to the farmers. H.M. was so tense that he was practically vibrating. Face was the only one who noticed, however, and subtly moved closer to the pilot.

Then came the introductions.

When Hannibal reached Murdock's name one of the farmers had a similar reaction, especially when the others turned to stare at the older man in surprise. Face's first thought when he saw the man in question was, "Wow, he has the same eyes as Murdock!" It honestly hadn't occurred to him, despite the proverbial elephant stomping into the room, that they had just met one of the pilot's relatives. With the death of his grandparents during the war, it was less heartbreaking to believe H.M. was an orphan than it was to **know** he had family who simply didn't care about him.

And knowing what he does now, it would have been better for the fantasy to continue.

After the meet and greet, where Hannibal tactfully chose not to air the Murdock dirty laundry in front of a crowd, Murdock disappeared. Face found him in the van, halfheartedly reading one of his comics and studiously ignoring his best friend. Templeton knew H.M. needed time to get his turbulent emotions in check, so he picked up a book of his own and settled in for a long wait.

It seemed like the elder Murdock was just as determined to ignore his own flesh and blood, and pretty much kept to himself for the duration of their stay. In fact, Templeton was beginning to think they were going to be able to wrap up everything without a single word spoken between the two Murdocks.

He should have known his luck wouldn't allow for it.

It was the last day of their visit. The bad guys had been vanquished and were cooling their heels in the local slammer. Their clients wanted to show their appreciation by throwing a party for the soldiers of fortune, and Hannibal wasn't one to say no to a good shindig. Knowing Murdock wasn't in the mood, Templeton stayed close throughout the night. For once he ignored the slightly tipsy girls vying for his attention and instead focused on his best friend. It showed how distracted H.M. had been that he didn't notice the selfless act.

As the sounds of upbeat music and merriment poured out of the barn behind him, H.M. stared up at the starry sky as if looking for the secrets of the universe. Templeton was out of sight, leaned up against the corner of the ancient wooden structure, and therefore wasn't noticed by his buddy's father, (Howell Matthew Murdock, he had learned was his name), when he came out to harass the pilot. The old man seemed to have a few beers under his belt and must have been feeling confident.

"Hey boy… got nothing to say to your old man?"

H.M. never once pulled his gaze from the stars. Templeton was more than prepared to intervene, but he knew that this wasn't his fight.

Irritated at being ignored, Howell stumbled closer to his son and lightly kicked the younger man's foot. This earned him the cold stare, the very same one directed at poor Chuck in The Floor 'Em. "I got nothing to say to you. You'd best get back inside where it's safe."

Instead of making the farmer terrified, as it should, the threat amused him greatly. "Whatchu gonna do, boy? Fly circles around me in your helicopters and make me dizzy? You're still as scrawny as you were when you were a kid." The farmer leaned down and poked his son in the chest… a move he would regret for the remainder of his days.

H.M., in a blur of movement, soon had his father pinned against the chipped red paint of the barn, hand around his throat. "You listen to me, old man. I ain't the same know nothing kid that left Texas, so you'd be wise to not test my patience."

Face appeared at his best friend's side when the farmer's face began to redden from lack of air. He placed a calming hand on H.M.'s shoulder, but was ignored as the pilot got everything he needed to say off of his chest.

"I told you when I got on that bus that you and I were through. That I wasn't gonna put up with you tryin' to control me with your hate-filled words or fists."

Temp got worried when his friend increased the pressure on the elder Murdock's neck. "Um… buddy?"

"It's bad enough you caused mama to take her own life, but I'd be damned if I'd let it happen to me!"

Face unsuccessfully tried to break the connection when the old man's head began to turn purple. "Murdock, you can't do this! Look at him… you're killing him, buddy. He may deserve it, but you'd regret it. Murdock?"

Templeton tried to make eye contact with his friend. He ignored the silent tears cascading down the pilot's face and forcefully turned the face toward him. "Let him go, Murdock. He's not worth it."

He held the gaze, though it was difficult when faced with the depth of despair the pilot couldn't keep hidden. He smiled when Murdock released his father's neck and latched on to him in a desperate hug. They both ignored the old man on the ground gasping and sputtering as he tried to catch his breath.

Templeton was leading his friend away when the old farmer, who seemed to have a death wish, offered one last retort. "Yeah, run away… just like you did back then. You're never gonna amount to anything, boy. You hear me? **Nothin'**!"

Face paused, signaling Murdock to hold on before making his way back to where Howell shakily stood. One punch found the old farmer knocked on his ass once again. "He's worth more to just me than you've ever been to everyone you've met altogether. Mess with him again and I won't try so hard to keep him from killing you."

Wrapping a brotherly arm around H.M., Face didn't spare another look at the broken old man on the ground behind him.

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Wow... I've had to rewrite this chapter like eight times! I almost gave up on a Murdock family reunion, but the idea wouldn't leave my head. Hope you like ;)


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